Ajax Tavern Redux
An Aspen apres-ski institution is revitalized
by Linda Hayes
New look. New chef. New menu. When Ajax Tavern reopened in November, it did so with the idea of reinvigorating the après-ski scene at the base of the Silver Queen Gondola. The bonus? Dinner is back.
Diners pore over a menu listing what chef Jim Butchart refers to as Euro-bistro cuisine. “There are straightforward dishes prepared or presented with modern twists,” he explains. “It’s the kind of food you want to come back to again and again.”
Butchart’s pedigree is prime for running Ajax’s kitchen. Recently up from the Greenbrier Sporting Club in West Virginia, his culinary path has included stints at Coyote Café in Santa Fe, the Sapphire Grill in Savannah and the French Laundry in Napa Valley. Before Ajax opened, he worked closely with chef Ryan Hardy at Montagna at The Little Nell, which oversees the restaurant.
Similar to Hardy, the 36-year old chef takes a home-grown approach to his cooking. He makes his own ricotta and serves it warm (perfect for spooning over grilled bread). Elk and Berkshire pork salami, chicken liver pâté and country-style terrine are all made in-house, as is smoked salmon rillette that’s served in the small mason jars used to put up fig and peach preserves.
Other menu highlights include crisp pork belly served over creamy polenta and paired with frisée and a farm-fresh egg, sole meunière atop haricot verts, and prime flatiron steak frites with peppercorn sauce. There’s also a raw bar and daily specials, like Friday’s whole roasted yellowtail, or maybe durade, prepared Mediterranean-style with fennel, lemon and green olives, and Tuesday’s braised beef short ribs.
On the menu’s flip side, a bistro-style wine list by Jonathan Pullis and Dustin Wilson, sommeliers at The Little Nell, is both selective and affordable. It mixes up wines from California (Ramey, Russian River Valley, 2006) with picks from France (Chave “Mon Coeur,” Cote du Rhone 2006), and there’s a Reserve list, too, for special pours.
For toppers, three-course Sunday Suppers are served family-style. A typical menu might include white bean soup, or a wedge salad with blue cheese and candied bacon crumbles, followed by glazed pork loin and caramelized apples served in vintage Le Creuset dishes, and, finally, apple pie a la mode or profiteroles. “It’s something different in town,” Butchart says. “If you’d like another helping, we’ll just head back to the stove.”
